Versus Versace

Here's the news about Versus this season: It's not so much a collection that young, rebellious women will go out to buy for themselves, as it is a safe destination for mother-and-teen-daughter shopping. Donatella Versace (who of course has her own teenage daughter, Allegra, to bounce ideas off) was recently taken by a story in the International Herald Tribune that discussed how the punk ethos has been sanitized over the years. The article (reprinted from The New York Times) pointed out that now even private-school kids are weekend punks, tolerated and often encouraged by their world-wise parents.

That explains Donatella's program note, describing the punk-inspired Versus show as, "A subversive mixture of education and rebellion." She addressed the eternal parental fashion-control issue by allowing her junior collection to go out the door looking like a shorter, tartier, big-haired version of the grown-up Versace line. That meant a lot of tartan mini-kilts, orange biker suits, and tiger-patterned denims, and a loading of metal hardware in the form of heavy Medusa-head cuffs and chain belts. For extra measure, she also threw in a few skimpy asymmetric jersey dresses, just to prevent those daughterly raids on Versace Mom's eveningwear closet. So, now the moral becomes clear: A girl who gets good grades might just be rewarded with a little trip to Versus. After all, as we know from the dear old Osbournes, the family that rocks together stays together.